British holidaymakers who have wrongfully been prevented from boarding flights
by authorities in the United States may soon be able to seek redress under a
new bill approved this week.

The FAST Redress Act, passed by the US House of Representatives on Tuesday, is designed to improve the current appeal process for a passenger wrongly identified as a terrorist threat (often because of a name similar to one on the government watchlist) when screened by the Transportation Security Administration.

The US government maintains a watchlist of about a million names of suspected terrorists that is checked against passenger names ahead of airline boarding. Passenger groups have previously criticised the efficacy of the watchlist after passengers – including young children and high-ranking government officials – reported being wrongly pulled aside for questioning.

The Act, yet to be approved by the Senate, would require Homeland Security to establish an Office of Appeals and Redress, provide a “timely and fair” process of appeal following an erroneous match and maintain a “comprehensive cleared list” of people who have been inappropriately included on terrorist watchlists or databases.

“It’s good to see Congress standing up for the traveller,” said Roger Dow, president and chief executive of the US Travel Association.

“This reform is long overdue. Giving travellers redress for misidentification and wrongful delay will lead to a safer, more secure and more efficient air travel system.

“Our hope is that quick Senate action will allow this bill to be enacted within President Obama’s first 100 days in office,” he added.

The legislation will replace the DHS Traveller Redress Inquiry Programme, which has been criticised for being slow or unresponsive to complaints.